Permanent Stain
by Honeeym
Summary: Tyler's return to Mystic Falls isn't what Caroline had expected. Drabble.


**Disclamer**: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, or make any profit from this story.

**Pairing : **Forwood, with hints of Klaroline.

**Summary**: Tyler's return to Mystic Falls isn't what Caroline expected. Drabble.

* * *

**Permanent Stain**

There is something profoundly unreal to having one of your dearest wishes come true. Something eerie, a sense of magic that can never be shaken until the moment has passed and you sit in silence, reflecting upon it. There's always a moment – a fleeting moment – when you doubt your very ability to tell perception from imagination.

Caroline Forbes knew the feeling. She had experienced it a few times in her short, never-to-be-ended life. She'd felt her heartbeat come to a halt and her hands become cold as marble, only to savor the distinctive thrill that comes with the rewarding of patience.

However, when she finally heard the words _"I'm coming back" _from Tyler's lips, Caroline couldn't help but observe that the feeling didn't arise as expected.

There was one too many reasons for that. The constant chaos that had become of Mystic Falls, for one. Nothing went according to plan in this town anymore. Many times before, she had thought things were getting better, and many times, she'd been sorely mistaken. Hope for a happy ending felt unnatural and almost foolish, now. She'd be whole again when she woke up in the middle of the night and found Tyler by her side, she reasoned.

—

The air shifted distinctly around Caroline and recognition seeped through her pores as she mentally relived the many times they were reunited in these woods. These trees and bushes were similar to their love; strengthening and weakening in cycles, the slightest ray of sun holding enough power to spark life again.

Slowly, she spun around, keeping her eyes closed to fight the tears. Acutely aware of every leaf and twig creaking under his feet, she willed herself to perfect immobility. The last week of her life had been spent rushing and running – she wanted this moment to be different.

Electricity ran through her veins when she felt his warm breath dance across her lips with deliberate regularity. He took his time to close the distance between their bodies, and Caroline found herself almost looking over her shoulder, out of habit. But the sense of urgency was gone, she remembered.

_Klaus was gone. _

Tyler's fingers delicately entwined themselves with hers, and she heard him smile when she shuddered. It had not been long since Prom night, but it felt like he hadn't touched her in months. Knowing she was now free to enjoy this simple contact for what it was, and not a temporary relief, should have felt more…_something. _

Caroline's eyebrows scrunched in concentration. She recognized the gentle possessiveness in Tyler's touch, the firmness with which his skin met hers, as if to assess once and for all that she belonged to him. His forehead slowly bumped into hers, and she breathed in the familiar scent of him.

"Open your eyes, Caroline," Tyler said.

The surprising calmness she felt when she did didn't sit well with her. It was supposed to be like enjoying the sun after days in the rain. There should have been warmth and comfort.

Instead, Caroline felt dark clouds hovering over her, and she wondered if Tyler heard the thunder rumbling behind every awkward word she said, if he saw the lightning in her eyes a second before he kissed her.

—

No excuses. No justifications. No explanations.

Either you loved someone, or you didn't. Either they were essential to your well-being and happiness, or they weren't. There was no such thing as indecision in relationships. From the second you hesitated, the love was gone, and no matter how hard you fought, it was never coming back to its former glory.

Caroline had always felt strongly about this, but for a hot minute, she wished she hadn't.

With a trembling hand, she knocked five times, a little louder than she'd meant to. The door flew open within seconds, and she smiled mechanically. He stepped aside to let her come in, but she stood frozen. After a moment's hesitation, he extended his arm to brush hers, and his smile fell when she inched away shyly.

"Tyler," she sighed. "We need to talk."

At that incredibly inconvenient time, and weeks after they were spoken, Caroline remembered Klaus's words.

_He was your first love, I intend to be your last. _

Her heartbeat came to a halt, and her hands became cold as marble, and she hated herself.


End file.
